Internal White Tissue in Supermarket Tomatoes

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tomato fruit were sampled weekly from live Florida supermarkets over a 1 year period. These tomatoes were categorized by the geographic location at which they were grown and analyzed for internal white tissue (IWT) characteristic to tomato irregular ripening. Of 7382 tomatoes tested from all sources, 17% were of poor internal quality. No external symptoms were present. The tomatoes had the greatest amount of IWT in the late summer/early fall with a peak of 64% in September. The tomatoes were of highest internal quality during the early spring, with none of 375 fruit having IWT during March. During the year, 38% of non-Florida-grown tomatoes had IWT compared to 9% for those grown in Florida.